Is sleep overrated?

We often hear that 8 hours of sleep is important to have a day full of alertness and energy for all the dull and boring tasks. Can 8 hours or more of sleep really help?

The National Sleep Research Project (http://www.abc.net.au/science/sleep/facts.htm) provided some interesting facts.

More than 8 hours – Sleeping too much however can actually cause “depressogenic” chemicals to be released and subject individuals to the feelings of being depressed. For people that have suffered from the “blues”, it is best to set up the alarm clock and get around 6 hours of sleep a night for a better mood when they wake up.

Continuous 8 hours – you may actually need 8 hours of sleep a night, but you may not need 8 continuous hours. If you find yourself struggling with maintaining 8 hours at night, try taking a nap. A few minutes nap can really help to revive your energy. Don’t be concerned that having the power naps can interfere with sleeping at night. In fact, 10-20 minutes naps have been found to have a positive correlation with getting good quality of sleep overall.

Keeping high quality 8 hours – We all have different sleeping patterns. Some are lucky enough to have a good 8 hour sleep at night. Some could not reach such amount. If the current 8 hour block of sleep at night does not apply to you, consider reducing your night sleeping hours and taking some naps whenever convenient. The important thing is not to stress about not having a good 8 hour sleep, but to consider how to improve your sleep pattern and its quality.

How to improve sleep quality from here? Take a look at these factors and see if you can adjust the quantity to boost your sleep quality.

Most of us will go through some sleepless moments at some points in life. Remember that having a good quality sleep matters more than the overrated number 8 (hours of sleep). As long as you are able to think clearly, have good energy and feel happy with your sleep patterns, you are doing great with sleeping.

Published by Work Happy